Young women in Mberengwa venture into income generating projects

MBERENGWA- Young women in Mberengwa have taken to doing small income generating projects to sustain themselves due the economic crisis in Zimbabwe.

The women who belong to Mhototi and Gudo villages started doing projects like goat and chicken rearing getting assistance from non-governmental organizations.

Faith Makovere who is one of the group leaders of a team called Pamumvuri Forums said they started small by collecting small amounts of money during fortnightly meetings.

"Our projects started in 2017, we were few by then and we started by contributing RTGS$2.50 at every meeting that we had. After we had raised enough money we started a chicken project then later on a goat project," she said.

Faith went on to narrate that their journey has not been all rosey as at some point they lost all the chickens they had to the New Castle disease, but they still remained determined.

From the testimonies of Mirirai Mangena, one of the gentlemen in Mhototi village, the projects do not benefit women only but their families too.

I no longer worry about paying my children's school fees, I have goats, i have road runner chickens, feeders, cows, all this coming from my wife. I support this, we are now living better lives," he said.

Some of the young women taking part in these projects said they benefited greatly from them, as they no longer beg for money to buy basic commodities like sanitary wear.

"Taking part in programs like these is beneficial, I buy my own sanitary pads or perfumes or any other things that I need. I also buy myself clothes, I encourage others to participate in these programs, you end up being an independent woman," Jennifer Dube said.

These small businesses are a step ahead in emancipation of women, in line with the government's vision on indigenisation and empowerment of women.